To Disappear
by Hielo y Sombra
Summary: Some things never change. The replica was jealous of Asch, but he knew what had to be done. Sad alternate to the Tower of Rem. Character death.
1. To Disappear

**Winx: This is just a short, sad little... something... that I thought up... Nothing belongs to me.**

* * *

What the hell is that idiot thinking? He's a replica himself; he'll disappear with the others if he stays here. "Replicas! I am the one who will die with you! Come!" I yell, ignoring dreck and his cronies. But it seems he isn't going to give up. He runs toward me and grabs the Sword of Lorelei, pushing me away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I ask. He manages to push me away, and that damn Necromancer grabs me before I can get back over to him.

"Give me your lives! I'm going with you!" the replica yells, stabbing the Sword of Lorelei into the ground to steady himself as he begins gathering fonons. Tear calls out his name and starts to run forward, but Guy grabs her. As the replica's hyperresonance starts to draw in the miasma, I stop fighting. It's too late now. The recoil from the hyperresonance will definitely kill him. It won't do us any good for the both of us to be dead.

But then the replica collapses, and the fonons start dispersing. "The Seventh Fonons are dispersing!" Jade says. "This isn't good. At this rate, the miasma won't be neutralized."

What the hell did that idiot do wrong this time? First he fails to get the Jewel, and now…

The Jewel!

"Damn it! It's the Jewel! It's power to disperse is interfering! How stupid can that replica be?" I yell in frustration, running forward to grab the Sword's hilt.

"Asch?!" Luke cries in surprise. I glare at him.

"Don't get me wrong. I have no intention of dying with you. I'm just going to give your hyperresonance a boost," I tell him, opening my fon slots and letting my own hyperresonance join his. Through the connection we share, I can feel every emotion raging through him, hear his every thought…

I black out before I can fully identify the feeling that crashes over me when he pushes one last desperate message toward me.

When I come to again, I find myself staring at something red. When I realize how quickly that red is disappearing, I sit up. Luke is still standing there, next to the replica of Guy's sister, but they are vanishing fast. I hear Natalia and Guy promise a safe refuge for the hundreds of replicas still roaming about before the young woman disappears completely.

Luke lingers for just a moment longer to look at me, and the love and hope in his eyes is the last I see of him.

I'm still trying not to choke on the emotions and thoughts that were Luke's last message to me as I stand. I pick up the Sword of Lorelei and stick it back in my sheath before leaning over to grab the Jewel.

Finally managing to push Luke to the back of my mind, I turn to look at the others. Natalia and Tear are both crying silently, while Guy tries to give them what little support he can manage. I'm mildly surprised to find that even Jade's eyes are watering.

"That idiot…" Tear mutters, wiping away her tears only for more to fall. I sigh and approach her, a lump forming in my throat. She looks up at me when I get close, and I have to look away to hold back tears of my own.

"Here… It'll be safer if the Jewel and Sword stay separate," I say. My words sound forced, even to me, but Tear takes the Jewel quietly.

"What happened anyway?" Anise asks, drying her cheeks. "Why did the Seventh Fonons start dissipating?" I scowl, irritation at the idiot finally overpowering that annoying sense of loss.

"That idiot received the Jewel just fine. He just happened to take the fonons that composed it into his body. He was so stupid that he didn't realize it until his fonons started separating," I tell them, heading for the elevator.

"Wait, Asch!" Natalia cries out. I stop and look over my shoulder. "Be careful…" she says. I can tell that it isn't what she wants to say, but for now, it's all she can get out. I turn away and close my eyes.

"I will," I promise her. Then the elevator starts dropping and I sigh. The miasma may be gone, but without the replica, things are only going to get harder from here on out.

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**Winx: There are actually two more parts to this... If you guys want to read them, drop me a hint, otherwise I'm not going to bother typing them up. It may be poorly-written, but it had me in tears...**


	2. To Mourn

**Winx: Here's part two… -sniffs- Um… other stuff at the bottom. I don't own Tales of the Abyss. And sorry for taking so long.**

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I scowl at the group in front of me, but silently and to myself, I have to admit that the pilot siblings have a point. I sigh, annoyed that I'm actually about to agree with this. "Fine. I'll go with you to Eldrant. But don't expect me to get all friendly with you people," I grumble, walking away. I notice movement out of the corner of my eye, and I figure that it's probably Natalia reaching out for me again.

"Alright. It's settled then. I'll take the Albiore II up as a decoy while you all go with Ginji in the Albiore III," I hear that woman, Noelle, say. Jade says something then, but I'm far enough away now that I can't hear him, but something stops me in my tracks and has me turning around and walking back over so I can at least hear.

"You have the rest of the day to do as you please. The operation begins at noon tomorrow, so don't be late," Jade says. But something's wrong… there's something missing, and for some reason, I can't seem to put a finger on it. Why…?

Then it hits me, and I feel as though someone has poured ice water straight into my heart.

The sarcasm, that teasing light in his eye… and that infuriating smile… It's all gone. There's no emotion, nothing left… Like what little life he'd been picking up since his childhood had drained right out of him.

And I know exactly why…

Luke…

"Damn replica," I mutter to myself, walking off as my vision starts to become blurry. Everywhere I look, that idiot has left some kind of mark that's caused the people who knew him pain.

It's not so noticeable elsewhere, but it's obvious, so painfully obvious, where that group is concerned. That damn little cheagle didn't squeak once while I was arguing with the group. Normally it spoke up multiple times, hurting my ears with each high-pitched word. I hate the damn thing, but now I almost wish it would talk, just so I wouldn't have to think about why it was quiet.

And Anise… She is more emotional than I had known her to be, but one thing I have found interesting is that she has simply become more determined. I've heard her say multiple times after Ion's death that the replica of the Fon Master would have wanted her to do something, but now I have a feeling that part of that determination was meant for Luke as well.

My thoughts turn to Guy next… And I'm not sure what to think. If anything, he's doing the best at hiding how much Luke's… death… hurts him. He's more tense than usual, and the smiles he puts on for the others are so transparently fake that it hurts even more, but someone who didn't know him well wouldn't notice these things… I barely notice these things…

I close my eyes, holding back the tears that are threatening to spill over again. _'Damn replica… Why the hell am I even this close to crying for you? Stupid, idiotic, bastard…'_ my thoughts rage. But even I think they sound hollow. I open my eyes again and actually look around, somehow not surprised that I'm at the port. The Kimlascan side, if I'm not mistaken.

I sigh, and my thoughts lock onto Tear next. Tear… I'm not sure what to think. All I really know about her is that she's Van's little sister, determined to stop him, and that she feels that she has to be the perfect soldier, though whether it's for him or her former mentor, Legretta, I'm not certain. But I do know that Luke's… death… has affected her the most.

"Love does horrible things to people, doesn't it?" a familiar and almost-welcome voice asks. I turn and look at the pink-haired woman that's walking up to me.

"Sometimes, I have to wonder if you're psychic," I tell her. She smiles sadly as she comes to a stop by my side.

"Guy is trying to comfort Tear," she says. I sigh and stare up at the sun. It's turning orange as it drops toward the horizon. Noir turns to look behind her for a moment before turning back to me. "But I think I'll leave Natalia to you," she adds. She rests a hand on my shoulder for a moment before leaving.

Sure enough, Natalia takes Noir's place mere moments later. "Asch… here," she whispers, holding something out. I look down at the silver locket she's handing to me. It's simple and round, small, and the only designs are an engraved 'F' on the back and on the front is a decorative knot border and two letters.

'A' and 'L'.

Asch and Luke.

My heart clenches in my chest as I open the locket. I have a feeling that I know exactly which picture is in it… And sure enough, it's the one Mother had taken of the two of us when Luke forced me to visit Baticul.

We both look uncomfortable, but for glaringly different reasons. I don't want to be there; he doesn't think he belongs there. But we both managed small smiles regardless.

"Aunt Susanne had ten made… One each for her and the duke, one for Father, one for Noelle, and the six that were meant for Luke and the five of us… She had a feeling you wouldn't want one, but she never got the chance to give it to Luke…" she tells me.

The lump in my throat won't go away, and I can feel the tears brimming up again as I slip the small but strong chain around my neck after closing the locket. "Luke… you idiot," I mutter, feeling an awful lot like Tear. After all, isn't 'idiot' her pet name for the replica? Tch, fits him well enough…

I wish I could stay angry, but I can't. And after what Natalia told me… "Is Mother doing alright?" I ask, somehow knowing that the answer will not be a positive one. Natalia shakes her head.

"No… She fell ill again after Luke's death, and she hasn't woken up for a couple of days now… the doctors fear that we won't return before she gives up," she tells me. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, and her voice is breaking. I wrap an arm around her shoulders to comfort her, but the action doesn't quite feel right.

For a moment, I swear that I can see his shadow, but when I look up, there's nothing there, and the shadow is gone. I sigh settle for holding Natalia as she cries. Everything's been happening so fast, none of us has had a proper chance to really mourn for Luke.

Finally, as the sun touches the horizon, Natalia pulls away a little. "We have to finish this tomorrow," she says. "For Luke."

I turn and gaze out over the water. I can feel the moisture on my own cheeks, but I don't bother with wiping it away. It's too late to hold it back now, and it'll just keep coming back. So I stand there quietly, one arm wrapped around Natalia's shoulders, the other hand fingering the locket that now hangs around my neck.

It shouldn't be there… It should be with Luke. But Luke is gone, and there's nothing any of us can do about it now.

"Yes… We will finish this tomorrow. Because Luke believed in this world and that it could change. He died protecting that idea, so it's our job to carry his dream with us. We're not going to give up," I say as the tears finally stop flowing.

For a moment, I can feel a warmth in the back of my mind, exactly where Luke's presence used to be, and I can almost hear the whispered words that were sent along with it.

'_Thank you.'_

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**Winx: Okay… Here's the other stuff I was going to mention… First of all, this part has two alternate POV's that I could do (on request) for Guy and an unnamed OC that shows what Guy and Tear are doing and what Jade and Anise are talking about, like how you've got the pre-Eldrant scenes in the game… (It's an unnamed OC because I really can't do Jade's POV and Anise... well, she's difficult for me.) I'm going to put the next and last part of Asch's POV up before I post those. (If anyone wants to read them… and if I can stop crying long enough to type it all.) So, if you want those two extra parts, let me know… the last part will be put up once I've written it… (In a few days, after I've calmed down enough to type more of this.)**


	3. To Remember

**Winx: New cover, courtesy of Kairi. Here is part three. I don't own.**

* * *

_It's over._

No, not yet.

I scream in rage as the replicated Oracle Knights attack me. They won't stop me. I have other things to do.

Like stop Van.

_Why are you still fighting?_

I scowl and swing the Key of Lorelei at the last replica. Looking around at the carnage around me, I stop and take a deep breath. Replicas…

Just like _him._

"Asch! Behind you!"

I turn and block the oncoming blow just in time. An arrow sails through the air and finishes the soldier, and I look up at the doorway, where Guy and Jade are holding the door open. Natalia's panicked face spurs me on, and I rush out, finally free of that room.

Anise has Tokunaga and her staff at the ready, and Tear is holding onto one of her knives. The only one of us who doesn't have his weapon at the ready is Jade, and he can summon his spear any time.

All of us are on edge. Legretta ran into us not long after we entered Eldrant, but that still leaves Sync and Van. And after that trap…

"Let's get moving. No doubt Van will have sent more replicas towards us already," Jade says. We all nod and start walking again. We're in no particular hurry. There's no reason to simply waste our energy.

Some time later, we reach the replicated Hod. The destruction from the Hod War is evident, and it's very obvious that the replica data wasn't taken until after the war started.

Guy points out the remains of his manor along the way, and Tear stops to think about something. We continue on our way though, none of us truly wanting to stop for long.

We don't make it much farther before we walk into another trap, however.

Except this time, it's set for all of us.

Jade curses as the fonic glyph traps us, and I can feel my pulse quicken.

No! We can't be stopped here, not after all we've been through!

'_Let me help!'_

I feel another power wash through me, and, acting on instinct, I let it loose. The trap dissolves, leaving me to wonder for a moment. That voice…

"What the…? What happened to the trap?" Anise asks. Jade looks over at me.

"Second-order hyperresonance? That's impossible," he mutters. I look up at the sky, understanding finally dawning on me. Even as Sync attacks and another battle begins, I have a different replica on my mind.

"Luke…"

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**Winx: So, this was originally much longer. I decided to split this last part (well, two parts, really) into three parts. Obviously, this is the first part, the second part will be from the battle against Van, and the third part… well, you can probably guess. So… Sorry it took so long to get this done. I had other things on my mind. (Boundaries of the Mind, mostly.) Kairi reminded me about this and I was like 'oh yeah… forgot about that', so I wrote up another part… and the first half of the next-to-last part, which was really emotional for me, so I had to stop. Hooray! Now then… I'll put the next part up whenever I get it finished. (Boundaries of the Mind and Cries in the Night take precedence, sorry… [especially since _I_ have to write the next chapter of CitN…])**


	4. To Avenge

**Winx: I lied again. Go look below for why. Anyway, this is twice as long as the last part. Oh well. I don't own.**

* * *

"Van."

"Asch."

We stand there, glaring at each other, both for different reasons.

He's angry because I refuse to join him. But then, does he really think I would? Or Luke, for that matter?

I'm angry because of his actions. _He_ created Luke to die at Akzeriuth. _He_ called Luke worthless, and in doing so gave the replica a purpose. _He_ captured Lorelei inside himself, forcing the Planet Storm to work harder to make up for the lack of Seventh Fonons. That, in turn, caused the miasma to seep out again.

In essence, _he_ took away my life, and then _he_ killed Luke.

I hate him. It used to be him and the replica both, but now only him. The replica never wanted to take anything from me, and in the end, he gave me everything he had. He left holes in everyone else's hearts and lives…

…just to give _me_ what I _thought_ I wanted.

And I blame Van.

We're all determined. This is why Luke gave up his life. This is what he wanted. He wanted Van stopped.

I draw the Key of Lorelei, which I had completed after the battle with Sync, once I had a few moments to think about just how much the replica left behind for me. Tear, after listening to my short rant, had taken a moment to meditate as she realized exactly what the meaning of the Seventh Hymn was.

Van pulls his sword out of the ground and charges at us, and the battle begins. I attack him wholeheartedly, switching between swinging my sword with my right hand, my dominant hand, and my left hand, Luke's dominant hand, to disorient him.

I jump back a ways, intending to use a fonic arte, before something stops me. Luke never used fonic artes. He never had a chance to learn them.

My anger at Van renewed, I attack him once more, throwing in a few of Luke's favored strike artes, Fang Blade among them. Van seems to have realized that I'm not just fighting for myself, and that I'm fighting the way I am for Luke. He smirks, like he knows something I don't. I ignore him, landing a few more hits before jumping away, out of the range of one of his attacks.

Finally, just as I think Van might be ready to give up, he unleashes an impossibly powerful shockwave. I flinch.

"This… this is the power of Lorelei," Jade realizes. I'm concerned. If Van is resorting to using Lorelei's power…

The light fades, showing Van in his patched-together state. I would feel remorse for him, were it not for the fact that he had destroyed not only my life, but my replica's as well.

I attack him again, letting it all come instinctually. I lose myself in the battle, my hatred drowning everything out, until finally, Van unleashes the absolute, full power of Lorelei.

"No! It's drawing in our fonons!" Jade cries. "At this rate, our life itself will be extinguished!"

I try to steady myself, but what else is there I can do?

"Asch!" Tear cries. "The second-order hyperresonance! It can neutralize any fonon!"

'_Let me help…'_

That ghostly voice spurs me into action as I release another hyperresonance, this time, aimed toward Van. "I'm going to set Lorelei free! Tear, help me!" I cry, though it sounds more like Luke's lighter, more innocent voice. Tear holds her staff to her chest and begins to sing.

"_Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryou Toue Zue~"_

I run forward, slashing at Van angrily.

"_Kuroa Ryou Toue Zue Ryou Rei Neu Ryou Zue~"_

My body starts glowing with Seventh fonons, and Van glares openly at me.

"_Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryou Toue Kuroa~"_

Van is fighting back with everything he has, and neither of us is willing to give up.

"_Ryou Rei Kuroa Ryou Zue Rei Va Zue Rei~"_

Natalia is still shooting her bow, while Anise and Jade cast.

"_Va Neu Va Rei Va Neu Va Zue Rei~"_

Guy jumps in and blocks an attack for me, and I smile at him.

"_Kuroa Ryou Kuroa Neu Toue Rei Kuroa Ryou Zue Rei Va~"_

We attack Van together this time.

"_Rei Va Neu Kuroa Toue Rei Rei~"_

Tear starts over at the First Fonic Hymn again.

"_Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryou Toue Zue~"_

Guy smiles at me, a genuine smile that I haven't seen since Luke's death, and I realize that I'm holding the Key of Lorelei in my left hand.

"_Kuroa Ryou Toue Zue Ryou Rei Neu Ryou Zue~"_

And for a moment I have to wonder…

"_Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryou Toue Kuroa~"_

Is it really me fighting Van…?

"_Ryou Rei Kuroa Ryou Zue Rei Va Zue Rei~"_

Or is it actually Luke, fighting through me?

"_Va Neu Va Rei Va Neu Va Zue Rei~"_

'_Let's finish this together…'_

"_Kuroa Ryou Kuroa Neu Toue Rei Kuroa Ryou Zue Rei Va~"_

'_The way we were supposed to.'_

"_Rei Va Neu Kuroa Toue Rei Rei~"_

I smile. Of course, Luke. Together.

The hyperresonance I unleash doesn't take the form of my Rending Saber, or his Radiant Howl. It's somewhere in between.

You can almost hear both of our voices as I scream one last sentence at Van.

"_Now you die!"_

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**Winx: Well then, that's it for this section. Any guesses as to what the final part… er… _parts_ are, since I lied again. (I keep breaking this up further and further, don't I?) Oh well. It seemed fitting that I do so here. Anyway, the last two parts won't be broken up any more than they already are. That would be difficult. Emotionally and literally. So, yeah… Whatever. Oh, and here's a box of tissues if anyone needs them. –leaves the box on the table-**


	5. To Depart

**Winx: Tissues advised. I don't own.**

* * *

Van's fonons dissipate as we watch. Tear closes her eyes, silently mourning the death of her brother. We all take a moment to mourn, not only for him, but for everyone else who gave up their lives for this cause.

Ion, General Frings…

Luke.

My grip on the Key of Lorelei tightens. We did it. We stopped Van. I close my eyes for a moment.

The earth shakes, leaving me concerned about the stability of the replicated land we're standing on. The Albiore III flies overhead and lands nearby. But I still haven't freed Lorelei. I'm still not quite done.

"Go! I'll stay and free Lorelei!" I yell. Natalia gasps.

"Asch!"

I look at her, sorrow etched across my face. She can't seem to find the words to speak.

"Asch, you have to come back!" she finally yells. "Not just for me. For Tear, and everyone! For Luke!"

I nod. "I will," I tell her. I won't promise. I can't ensure that I'll be able to keep it.

Tear looks up at me, and I see the tears slip from her eyes. It's not me she sees… It's him. And I feel guilty. She walks over to me.

"Please… for Luke," she whimpers, sounding weaker than I've ever heard her. Her voice strengthens as she speaks again. "You have to come back!" My own eyes become blurry.

'_I will, Tear. I promise.'_

I'm shocked to hear the words come out of my own mouth as well. Natalia couldn't have heard, she's too far away, being led toward the Albiore by Guy. Tear looks up at me, and I know she knows.

That promise wasn't mine… it was Luke's.

A promise that we both know he can't possibly keep.

"Tear!"

The melodist turns away at the sound of the Necromancer's voice. Jade's expression is difficult to read, but I can see sorrow reflected in his eyes, just like everyone else's.

I turn around as the Albiore starts to lift off of the ground. The Key of Lorelei suddenly feels foreign in my left hand, and I switch it to my right, feeling as if Luke has disappeared.

I take a deep breath and plunge the blade into the ground. A fonic glyph appears around it and the sword's fonons separate to complete it. I'm left standing in the middle as the glyph lowers, bringing me with it.

By the time the fonic platform I'm on descends below Eldrant, I've started glowing. A force field protects me from the falling debris.

A slight glow to my left catches my attention as I reach the core of the world, and I stare in shocked silence.

"Luke…"

He smiles sadly. Around the edges of the platform, a golden glow circles before unifying in front of us. The voice that speaks next is familiar, and I almost choke.

"_Thank you. I never thought that the future I saw would be rewritten. You have done admirably."_

Lorelei absorbs Luke into him before shooting up, away from me, and out into the fon belt.

But not before I hear one last message, this time, in an even more familiar voice.

"_Thank you."_

I shake my head and reach along what's left of the connection, pulling him back.

'_No,'_ I tell him, pulling him closer. _'You promised.'_

Without another word, I pull him into my weakened body, using what little strength and control over the Seventh fonons that I have left to heal the both of us.

The last thing I hear before slipping into unconsciousness is Lorelei sighing.

"_Very well. But only for a while."_

* * *

**Winx: One last part… Which will be put up whenever I feel like it. Which could be anywhere between tomorrow and ten days from now, when I update Boundaries of the Mind. So yeah…**


	6. Keeping his Promise

**Winx: Go get the box of tissues right now. Got them? Good. Now you may read.**

* * *

_Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryou Toue Zue  
Kuroa Ryou Zue Toue Ryou Rei Neu Ryou Zue  
Va Rei Zue Toue Neu Toue Ryou Toue Kuroa  
Ryou Rei Kuroa Ryou Zue Rei Va Zue Rei  
Va Neu Va Rei Va Neu Va Zue Rei  
Kuroa Ryou Zue Toue Ryou Rei Kuroa Ryou Zue Rei Va  
Rei Va Neu Kuroa Toue Rei Rei_

As Tear sings the Grand Fonic Hymn a second time, she is oblivious to the group of people behind her. They are silent, not wanting to interrupt her. Two have tears in their eyes by the time she is finished. One seems to want to cry as well. The last is expressionless, as if he feels no emotion at all, though this is far from the case.

"You didn't come," one of the crying girls says a short while after Tear's hymn is finished. "I believe you were invited to their coming-of-age ceremony."

Tear bites her lip, but does not speak. The younger girl looks up at the blonde man, who is managing to push his tears back. "You didn't go either," Anise stated. Guy narrows his eyes.

"I'm not interested," he states. "Let the others stand around and tell stories by their graves, but I won't be joining them."

Jade adjusts his glasses. He doesn't want to be here. He wants to be in his office, in the lab, _anywhere_ but here. He won't let his emotions show, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel anything.

"We should leave soon," he says. "The valley is dangerous at night." He knows that the others don't believe him, but he doesn't care. Natalia sighs and turns, understanding his discomfort all too well.

Tear jumps off of the boulder she had been sitting on and turns, intending to join them. Guy and Anise are heading back as well, and Jade has already gone a few yards.

Something stops Tear in her tracks. Cautious, she turns.

A shocked gasp freezes the rest of the group, causing them to turn as well.

Standing in the middle of the field of selenias are two redheads, one solid, and one a seemingly ghostly apparition.

And as Natalia runs forward, the melodist lets slip the tears she's been holding back, because Asch came back alive, and even if he couldn't do the same, and it was only for a few moments…

Luke still kept his promise.

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**Winx: So, that's it. That's the end… There are a few alternate scenes I may add, but that's it… And it definitely had me crying most of the way through… But oh well. I don't own… Good bye...**


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